Railway-crossing signal system



June 12, 1928.

J. OTTERMAN RAILWAY CROSSING SIGNAL SYSTEM Filed May 31, 1927 IN V EN T0R.

ATTORNEY;

WWW

Patented June 12, 1928.

JOSEPH OTTERMAN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-CROSSING SIGNAL SYSTEM.

Application filed May 31, 1927. Serial No. 195,323.

My invention relates to railway crossing ball-bearing assembly 28resting on the botsignal systems and its object is to provide meanswhereby a locomotive or equivalent device passing along a railway will,within a predetermined distance from a tratiic crossing, operatemechanism which will display at the crossing a suitable danger signal,and will, after the locomotive or equivalent device has proceeded apredetermined distance past the crossing, reset the signal to itsoriginal condition indicating that the crossing is safe to travel over.Another object is to provide means whereby the s gnal means is operated,no matter in which direction the locomotive or equivalent devicetravels.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view of aportion of a railway provided with my invention, parts being brokenaway; Fig. 2, a section on the line II-II on Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a sectionon the line III-III on Fig. 1; and Fig. 1, 2. section on the line IVIVon Fig. 1.

()n the drawing I show a railway track comprising the rails 1 and 2seated on the ties 3, 4:, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. These are the ties whichIuse, but it is to be understood that there will be a suitable number 01additional ties of the usual type.

At one side of the track and at one side of the line of traiiic over thecrossing, or between two lines of oppositely moving trailic over thecrossing, I provide the visual signal 10 of any suitable type. I haveshown the signal as composed of the horizontal drum or cylinder 11having transparent vertical ends 12 hearing the warning word Stop. Asuitable lamp, as 13, is shown within the drum to illuminate the signal.

The drum 11 is attached to the vertical oscillatory postor shaft 14which is connected by the crosspin 15 to the vertical shaft 16projecting up from the horizontal pulley or sheave 17, which rests onthe ballbearing assembly 18 seated on the bottom of the casing 19riveted to the plate 20 secured to the two extradong ties 5 and 7. Thecasing has the cover or cap 21through which the shaft 16 projects.

Between the rails 1 and 2 and at opposite sides of the crossing orsignal 10 are the rotary pulleys or sheaves 22 and 23 enclosed incasings 24 and 25 having caps or covers 26 and 27. As these two devicesare alike only one, the one at the left, is fully shown and described.The pulley 22 rests on :1

tom of the casing 24 and riveted to the plate 29 supported by the ties 3and 4. The right hand casing 25 is shown on the plate 30 supported bythe ties 8 and 9. The pulley 22 has the shaft 31 projecting up throughthe cover 26, the projecting end thereof having the hub 32 securedthereto by the crosspin The hub carries above the cover 26the twohorizontal arms 34- and 35 arranged at right angles to each other. Thehub 32011 the right hand shaft 31 has the two arms 34 and 35 exactlylike the arms on the left hub. However, the arms 3& are arranged to beparallel to each other, the arms being therefore also parallel to eachother.

A flexible member runs on the three sheaves mentioned. It is composed ofsections. One section 36 runs on the pulley l7 and has one end connectedat the point 37 to the two sections 38 and 39, the former running to theleft on the idler or sheave l0 and thence on the left hand pulley 22 andon the idler or sheave 41 to the point 12 to which the remaining end ofthe section 36 is attached. The section 39 runs to the right on theidler or sheave 13 standing opposite the idler 10 and thence on theright hand pulley 23 and thence on the idler or sheave 44: standingopposite the idier 41, to the point 42. The idlers 40 and 13 areenclosed in the casing 15 connected to the ties 5 and 6, and the idlersll and 4L4 are enclosed by the casing 4L6 attached to the ties 6 and 7.

The flexible member maybe composed of wire cables or chains or both andmay run in protective pipes 47. and may be provided with turnbuckles 4:8by which slack in the flexible member may be taken up. This member maybe attached to the pulleys as indicated at 41-9. I

When the signal is set so that the Word Stop is not visible to trafticapproaching the crossing, the arms 34 are arranged to be at right anglesto the rails 1 and 2, the arms 35 pointing in opposite directions andaway from the crossing or signal 10. The arms, when at right angles tothe rails, reach to the center line between the rails so that they willbe hit and operate by the projection 50 can ried by the locomotive orother leading car of a train. The arms 34 and 35 will be placed at sucha distance from the crossing or signal 10 as will give ample time beforethe train reaches the crossing for trafiic on the crossing to get offfrom it, or to give trafiic approaching the crossing ample time to stopbefore the train reaches the crossing.

The parts being at safety as in the drawing and a train approaching thecrossing from the left, the projection 50 will hit the left hand arm 34:and cause the section 38 of the flexible member to travel left-lumdedly,whereby the signal drum 11 is turned 90 so that the word Stop shows atboth sides of the track, the pulley 17 being limited by the stop 51thereon having travel between the fixed stops 52 and 53, arranged 90apart. W hen the section 38 traveled as described, 1t caused the point3'i'to travel toward the signal and pull the section 89 so as to causethe pulley 23 to travel right-handedly. Accordingly, the projection 50has caused the arms 34; to be parallel with the track and the arms 35 toproject to the center of the track. lVhen the train passes the righthand arm 35, it will hit it and return the signal 10 and the arms 34 and35 to their original or safety positions.

It a train approaches from the right, the projection will first engagethe right hand arm 34- to throw the signal 10 to danger position and thearms 35 perpendicular to the center of the track. The train will hit theleft hand arm 35 and restore the parts all to their safety positions.

By connecting the ends of the sections 38 and 39 to the ends of thesection 36 and leading the sections 38 and 39 on the two pairs of idlers40-43 and 414& in opposite directions to the pulleys 22 and 23, Iprovide a simple means of making the said pulleys turn in oppositedirections, which they must do to bring the arms 34 and 35 into properpositions for resetting the signal to safety position.

I claim- 1. In a railway crossing signal system, a pulley, a signalattached thereto, a pulley at each side of the crossing and distanttherefrom, a flexible device on all the pulleysfor operating them andthe signal simultaneously, means for causing the distant pulleys to turnin opposite directions, an arm carried by each distant pulley andarranged to be actuated by a car running in either direction on thetrack and approaching the three sections, one on each pulley, and oneend of each member being connected together at one pointand theremaining ends being connected together at another point. .2. Inarailway crossing signal system, a pulley, a signal attached thereto, apulley at each side of the crossing and distant therefrom, two pairs ofidlers between the distant pulleys, a flexible device on all the pulleysfor operating them and the signal simultaneously, means for causing thedistant pulleys to turn in opposite directions, an arm carried by eachdistant pulley and arranged to be actuated by a car running in eitherdirection on the track and approaching the crossing, for causing thesignal to be displayed, and an arm carried by each distant pulley andarranged to bemoved when the car so actuates an arm, into a position tobe engaged by the car as it is moving away from the crossing, forresetting the pulleys, the signal and the arms to their originalpositions, the fiexible member being continuous from one distant pulleyto the other distant pulley, the intermediate portions of the saidcontinuous part of the flexible member being turned laterally betweenand in contact with the respective pairs of idlers andattached to theends of the portion of the flexible member which runs on thesignal-bearing pulley.

' In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

JOSEPH OTTERM

